Tool Use Is Not the Human Distinction It Once Seemed
A tool is an implement used to carry out a function. Many animals make and use them.
A tool is an implement used to carry out a particular function. Humans were long defined as the tool-making animal, but the claim has been steadily dismantled: chimpanzees strip twigs to fish for termites, New Caledonian crows manufacture hooked tools from leaves, sea otters keep favourite stones for cracking shells, and octopuses carry coconut shells to use as shelters. *Tool* is Old English *tol*, from a root meaning to prepare — the same source as *taw*, to work leather.
- An implement. *A hand tool.*
- A means. *A tool for the job.*
- To shape. *Tooled leather.*
- Toolmaker. *A toolmaker.*
- Old English — *tol*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | tool | A tool. |
| Plural | tools | Tools. |
| Verb | tool | Tooling. |
| Compound | toolkit | A toolkit. |
| Old English | tol | A tool. |
- The right tool for the job.Implement.
- Crows manufacture tools.Animals.
- Tooled leather binding.Craft.
Animals that make tools
- Chimpanzees strip twigs to fish termites from mounds
- New Caledonian crows cut hooked tools from leaves
- Sea otters keep a favourite stone for cracking shells
- Octopuses carry coconut shells to use as portable shelters
- Some crows even keep and reuse their best tools
Old English *tol*, from a Germanic root meaning to prepare or make ready.
Do animals make tools?
Yes. Chimpanzees, New Caledonian crows, sea otters and octopuses all make or select tools, some keeping them for reuse.
What does tool literally mean?
Something prepared, from a Germanic root meaning to make ready.